Torn
by Etimire T
Summary: What if when the 9th Doctor regenerated, the Time Energy he absorbed from Rose Tyler flipped around the order of his regenerations so that instead of sprouting an trench coat and tie, Rose must deal with a Doctor with an unearthly addiction to bow ties and suspenders? However, it's not 11's turn, and the paradox forces him to flip back and forth between his 10th and 11th self.
1. Regeneration

Chapter 1

Regeneration and the Paradox

Everything hurt. Her head, her arms and legs and face, but she didn't know why. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

Rose Tyler's fingers weaved through the floor grating and it took all of her strength to push herself upwards. Everything was fuzzy and hot like wet cotton balls were stuck in her ears. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against a coral column in the TARDIS. She honestly didn't understand why coral of all things was used to build this thing, but who was she to judge?

Blinking slowly, her vision came into focus. The Doctor wasn't rushing around pressing buttons the way he usually was. He just stood there, this look of suppressed fear in those bright blue eyes of his. He stared at her and her heart skipped a beat.

Yes. Something was definitely wrong, but for the life of her, Rose couldn't remember what. She had a dim recognition of attempting to work the TARDIS back in 2006. Anger coursed through her as she came to a realization. He left her! He lied and sent her home like a little kid!

Whenever they finished solving this next problem, the Doctor was definitely getting a good shouting at. But right now something was seriously wrong and Rose Tyler wanted to fix it.

"I wanted to take you so many places, Rose. Barcelona? They've got dogs without noses! It's just _fantastic _there!" The Doctor turned away and tried to press a button, but his hands were shaking.

Rose was confused. She stretched her tired muscles and stood up straighter. "Let's go then."

A ghost of a smile lifted the Doctor's lips. "Maybe you will. Maybe I will…but not like this, not with this daft face." He tried to smile at her, but his anxiety leaked through. "This process is a big dodgy, you see? And all the Time Energy I absorbed isn't helping things."

Rose stepped forward. What was he talking about? "Doctor-"

Suddenly the Doctor jerked backwards, as if by an unseen force. A light flashed across his stomach and he covered it with his hands, "Don't!" He shouted, a hand warding her away. He clutched his middle, accidentally tearing the leather jacket he always wore.

Frightened by his tone, Rose automatically froze. "What- what's wrong? Let me help!"

He shook his close-shaved head. "No, no, Rose. Rose, you have to listen to me! Are you listening?"

He looked up at her and it was nearly impossible for Rose to resist the urge to race over and throw her arms around him. He was hurting and she could do nothing about it! This was no better than knowing that thousands of years in the future, he was dying.

"I- I'm listening," she choked.

The Doctor attempted to smile, something Rose loved him for. Here he was, obviously in pain, yet he tried to comfort her. "I absorbed Time Energy. No one's meant to do that…" He laughed humorlessly, "Every cell in my body is dying."

Rose's eyes widened. No. She wouldn't let that happen. "Isn't- isn't there something you can do?"

The Time Lord nodded rapidly. "I'm doing it." He grimaced. "You see, Time Lords have a way of cheating death… sort of… But you'll never see me again- not like this." He paused, a resigned expression on his face. "I'm going to change. Every cell- every atom. I might end up with three heads, or no head!" He tried to laugh, but it was more like a groan. "Can you imagine that, Rose Tyler? Me with no head? And don't say it's an improvement..." Pain racked his body and the Doctor gasped for oxygen. "For Rassillons sake," he muttered angrily, "At least let me finish!"

Rose frowned. Who was he talking to?

The Doctor's gaze ripped the floor and rested on his companion's face. "Sorry, he's a bit impatient."

"Who?"

For half a moment, a whimsical smirk lifted the Doctor's lips. "I just told you. You'll meet him in a bit. I can _almost _guarantee it."

Rose was confused and scared. The air in her lungs was soaked with the emotions. "Please..." she begged. "I don't understand." Tears came to her eyes. She didn't want to believe this was the last time she'd see the face of the most amazing man she'd ever met. "I-I don't want you to go…"

The Doctor stared at her sadly, but then he smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. He attempted to stand straighter, and for a moment, maintained the image that everything was fine."I before I go-"

"Don't say-"

"Rose," the Doctor interrupted, "Please…"

Rose went silent.

"I want you to know," the Doctor continued, "That you were fantastic, utterly and completely fantastic." He cocked his head toward her comically. "And you know what?"

Rose sniffed. "What?"

The image collapsed and his started to collapse."So was I."

At that moment the world exploded. An invisible force pushed Rose back and she shielded her eyes from the light. It rushed from hands and feet and face of the Gallifreyan, curtaining him in fire and relief and ice and pain. Alarms broke out on the TARDIS console and still the screams of the Doctor refused to cease. Rose Tyler hid behind the coral pillar, terrified. The Doctor stood in the middle of a whirlwind of light.

He wanted to close his eyes, to stop the burning, but the fire forced them open and all he could do was scream. It hurt _so _bad, worse than the pain of actually dying ever would. In a moment of desperation, he mouthed five words. It was the last time _he _would get to say her name. This was his last chance to say what he'd been dying to say from the moment they watched Earth burn, thousands of years in the the future and an eternity from right now. He'd taken her hand and told her to run so long ago, and they had been running ever since. So he screamed the words the last words he would ever say. _Rose Tyler! I love-_

The words were lost in the sound and light, wisps of a forgotten memory. As he tried to speak, as suddenly twist inside of him stole his breath. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Time unraveled around him and red flashed behind his eyes. What? WHAT?! This wasn't right! This wasn't right _at all_!

He'd already begun to change, but like a car changing gears, the change suddenly took off in a new direction. If his stomach was fully formed, the Doctor figured he would have emptied his stomach, but at the moment, all he could do was clench his fists and hope he survived this experience. He attempted to form a logical thought, but nothing seemed to be working...As usual.

And then just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Pitching forward, the new Doctor stumbled into the TARDIS console. Gasping, he drew oxygen in and out.

_Still have lungs…_he thought absently. "I suppose that's good." He frowned at the unfamiliar sound of his voice. "I think... or maybe it's not… Gills? No. Lungs. That's right. Humans have lungs." He frowned. "But that's not right, I'm not human I'm- I'm…" he trailed off. Well… He could figure that out later.

He jumped to his feet and stumbled yet again. "Ooo! Clumsy, are we? That's alright." He grabbed his legs one after the other. "I've got legs and- and." He wriggled his fingers. "_Hands-_ lots of hands! No. No, only- only _two _hands. Lots of…" He thought for a moment, a bemused expression claiming his face. Suddenly he grinned. "FINGERS!" he shouted. A laugh escaped him. "I've got fingers, Rose Tyler! _Fingers_! Isn't it brilliant?"

The Doctor spun in a sloppy circle, noticing for the first time that his yellow and pink human was nowhere in sight. "Rose…"He murmured. "I have a Rose, don't I?" He grinned. "I've got an Ace too! I can play cards and have a Rose!"

The Doctor blinked, suddenly stalk still. "Or- or maybe I don't… Do I still have a Rose? What if I don't have a Rose?!" Agitation filled his entire body and he reached hands up to grip his hair. Then the agitation left him. "Hair… I've got _hair_! _Ha_!" He laughed maniacally and pulled down a chunk that flopped over his forehead so he could look at it. He huffed in annoyance."Not ginger... It's a bloody simple request…"

But then he forgot about his hair. Slowly, he looked up. Rose stood still as a statue behind him, her hands gripping the coral pillar like it was a life line.

"Who- Who are you? What did you do with the Doctor?"

The new man frowned at the familiar term. "Doc-tor." Then he remembered. "Oh. rRght. That's me!" He laughed.

Rapidly, Rose shook her head. "No, no. The Doctor sort of…exploded and then you replaced him like a- a teleport or a transmat or a body swap or somthin'." She was terrified, but Rose wasn't about to let someone get away with stealing her Doctor.

The Doctor frowned. "Rose. It's me. I just changed. Right in front of you."

Rose gulped. "No- _no_! I don't believe you."

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor attempted to take a step but ended up tripping on a cord. It took a moment to steady himself. "You don't believe me. That's brilliant." He huffed and then grinned. "Still sarcastic! Did you hear that, Rose? That was sarcasm. _Well_, it was either _sardines _or _sarcasm_... Whichever one isn't a fish…" He jerked himself from his mumblings and looked her in the eye. "Rose Tyler. It's me. I swear, it's me. I changed every one of my atoms to keep myself from dying, but," he scratched his neck awkwardly. "still me."

Very slowly, Rose stepped forward. Distrust colored her every movement."No." She spoke, "What did you do with him?" Still nervous, she pushed him with her hand and the Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels. "You're not foolin' me!"

The Doctor thought for a moment, his green eyes roaming the ceiling."Then how would I know this?" A whisper of a smile lit his face. "Do you remember the first time I met you? In the basement of that shop where the Autons were?" Cautiously, afraid she would jump away, the Doctor reach for his companion. She didn't move. "I grabbed your hand and whispered one word- just one word." The Doctor paused. "Run."

The tension oozed out from Rose's thin form. "Doctor?" she whispered shakily.

The Doctor grinned, realizing that this self seemed to do that alot. "Hello!" He wriggled his wingers at her in a silly sort of wave."

Rose stepped back suddenly. Shock wrapped its tentacles around her. "no way-"

"And run we did!" The Doctor interrupted. He laughed, hoping up and down just because he could. Quickly, he stumbled around the console, setting the coordinates at random."All across the universe, chasing and being chased." He turned to look at his companion, "We could see Hop again! Do you remember that? Hopping for our lives." He hopped on one foot and giggled. His floppy hair bounced up and down with each hop. Rose's expression didn't change. She was made of stone.

Following him toward the center console, Rose suddenly felt very timid."Can-can you change back?"

The Doctor's eyes riveted to her face in an instant, "Do ya…Do ya want me to?"

"Yes."

Shoulders slumping, the Doctor's eyes dropped to his shoes which were much too big now. "Oh…"

"Can you?"

The Doctor bit his lip like he was attempting to remember something, "Ah- no." There was silence and then the Doctor spoke again. he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Do you... want to go home?"

"Do you want me to?"

"No!" The answer came quickly, urgently. He couldn't stand to see her leave, but the Doctor would let her if she wanted. Rose hadn't answered his question, which the Doctor took as yes. He pressed several buttons and turned a crank. "Alright then, London- Powell Estate… 24th of December." He peeked at her, "I think I like Christmas! You get presents and stuff... Which is cool!"

Rose was silent. The Doctor _she_ knew would never stoop so low to say a word like 'cool'. He considered himself above Earthling slang.

Huffing, the Doctor crossed his arms and tried to lean against one of the coral pillar. Unfortunately, he missed by about an inch and went crashing to the floor. He didn't seem bothered in the slightest. "Oh come on, Rose!" He whined from his spot on the floor, waving his hands in the air as he spoke. Jumping to his feet, the Gallifreyan stared at her for a moment and then cracked a smile. Rose was silent.

"For Rassilons sake, girl, is it really that bad?" The Doctor hoped up and down. He suddenly wrinkled his nose, "With my luck I probably resemble Gandalf..." He spun in a low circle, miming a sword fight with his hands and came back around with a smile."I could be _Space _Gandalf with a blue glowy sword thing! That wouldn't be too bad!" He flipped his sonic screwdriver in the air. It had been in his pocket and the moment he took it out, he proceeded to drop it through the floor grating. He starred as the sonic fell. "Well…" he said, "That's bothersome. Gonna have to fix that. Grating just won't do. This self seems a bit clumsy."

Rose couldn't stop herself from smiling at his crestfallen expression. _Space Gandalf…_

Unfortunately, the Doctor noted the smile. He looked shocked. "Was that a smile?"

Rose scowled.

"No."

"I think it was." the Doctor grinned, but Rose just shook her head.

"No it wasn't."

There was silence for a moment, and then the Doctor sighed. "Rose, please. I changed but it's not like I-" Suddenly he stumbled backwards, a cry escaping his lips.

Rose leaned around the console. "Are you alright?"

The Doctor frowned and righted himself. "Fine. I'm just-" He let out as shriek and pulled his hair at the roots. "S'all wrong! All of It! I-I-I can't be here! WRONG! Not right. Error! ERROR! _ERROR_!" Shouting, he gripped the edge of the console with a bloodless grip. "STOP!" He roared. Immediately his eyes flicked towards Rose's. "The regeneration's gone wrong. I'm not in the right place! Can't be here!"

"What do ya mean?" Rose cried, "Why not?"

The Doctor shook his head violently. A ghost of yellow dust trickled from his lips and hung in the air. Gulping, he explained, "I absorbed a bunch of Time Energy and it's messed with the order of my regenerations! I'm not suppose to be alive- not yet!" Suddenly a manic gleam lit his eyes. "Wanna go faster? FASTER!" His shout echoed through the TARDIS. He pushed several buttons, turned a few levers and glanced at Rose, but didn't really see her. "It's like a ROLLer Coaster! Roller coasters are _so_ cool, Rose! I can't wait to try one in this regeneration! We can ride a Rollercoster through space and time and without seatbelts!" He giggled. "Isn't this fun?!"

Rose didn't seem to agree. "Doctor, _stop_!" She cried, clinging desperately to the console. "You're going to kill us!"

The Doctor huffed, "Don't be such a party pooper? Live a little! Let's break the Time Limit, my beautiful ship!"

"Doctor!" Rose screamed.

Suddenly the Time Lord froze. His eyes wandered all around the TARDIS for a moment. He turned toward Rose. "Do I know you?" He shook his head. "Wait. Yes. I do. Of course I know my Rose." Panic turned his eyes black and he folded up on the floor like a marionette doll. "Rose…" he murmured, "I can't do this. It's all tangled- the strings and the light and and the spirals and the beautiful, _beautiful _clocks…"

Rose clung to the TARDIS console as the ship buckled and twisted. "What are you saying?!"

The Doctor's hair hung in his eyes, but Rose saw that for a moment he regained his sanity. "You need to get the paradox machine," he instructed her, "It's the only way I can-" The sentence was left unfinished, swallowed up by the Gallifreyan's mad shouts.

Jumping away, Rose's heart pounded. Paradox machine. Where to find a paradox machine..

She tumbled toward what she hoped was the right hallway. Every so often, the floor would tip and send her sprawling. Soon she was covered in bruises and cuts. Her hair had to be a _disaster_, not that she really cared at that moment.

"The Doctor is _dying_!" she screamed at the ceiling. "If you want him to survive, I need to find a bloody _paradox machine_!"

The floor didn't stop tipping, but suddenly railings and arrows appeared on the walls. Rose breathed out a sigh of relief. If all else failed, Rose could always rely on the TARDIS's loyalty to her captain. Moving quicker now, Rose zipped through the hallways. It was mostly dark, but the occasional red light guided her deeper and deeper into the TARDIS and hopefully closer to her target.

Quicker than her eyes could register, a door appeared in the wall next to her. "Thank you," Rose whispered, out of breath. The human leaned against the door and it swung open without protest.

Inside the room was shelf after shelf of strange nicknacks. Some of the objects were things Rose recognized, a coffee mug, porcelain mask, cellphone, and others were completely foreign. She stumbled past all of the objects, hardly taking them in. The room appeared to be some sort of storage facility. Her entire attention was fixed on the shelf that was light up by an unseen light source.

"Please be it…" She prayed, coming closer to the shelf. There was only one object on the white wood. It was a necklace of with what looked like a silver coin as the only ornament. Rose didn't question its oddity. Snatching up the necklace, she stumbled out of the storage room and found herself inside the console room.

Another benefit of a sentient ship, distance was relative.

The Doctor lay curled in a ball at the base of the console, tearing at his hair. He was screaming words in a language Rose couldn't understand, but recognized from other brief instances with the Doctor she knew. Gallifreyan. The Doctor was screaming in Gallifreyan. The words would have been beautiful if it wasn't so blatantly obvious that her friend was in pain.

Rushing to his side, Rose held out the necklace. "Is this it? Is this the paradox machine? Tell me it's the right thing!"

The Doctor went quiet but otherwise didn't respond.

Great. What now?

Rose bit her lip. Now was not the time to hesitate. "I really hope this is right," she murmured. Taking the Doctor's head in her hands, she shoved the necklace around his neck. Nothing happened.

"Come on!" She shouted at him, "Work, you stupid thing!"

She grabbed the metal coin and searched it with her fingers. "Maybe there's a button or…"

Suddenly a wrist grabbed her hand. The Doctor's eyes were squeezed shut, and his breathing was shallow, but slowly he took her hand away from the coin and pressed his thumb upon the surface.

Immediately, a green light shined spilled from the coin and enveloped the Doctor. It was so fast and when Rose blinked, the green light was gone. Instead, a steady red light pulsed from the coin.

There was a moment of tense silence. Then the Doctor breathed in deeply. Gasped- actually, like he had been drowning. He coughed up some gold dust and slowly opened his eyes. Suddenly, he sat up. "Well that was unpleasant." He coughed again.

Rose stared at him, this new Doctor with his babyish face and carefree attitude. Could he really be the same man she remembered?

All she knew at this moment was that she was beyond relieved that he was alright. "Are you okay now? What was that light? What happened?" The questions poured out of her like water.

The Doctor jumped to his feet, swayed, and then regained his balance. "I'll explain later, when I've stabilized. Right now everything is still sort of… odd." He grinned and put a hand out to help her to her feet. Rose ignored it and stood up on her own.

The Doctor didn't seem to notice. He bounced on his heels, "Rose? Can we please, _please_ see Christmas!" He jumped up and down like an urgent child, "I learned about it at school, and I haven't seen one in _ages!"_

"I-" Rose started, but suddenly the TARDIS jerked to the side and spun in a circle. There was a crash, and Rose knew instinctively that they had landed.

The Doctor giggled happily, untangling himself from a nest of wires. "Rose! Come on! Hurry up! Lets go see, Jackie and Mickey Mouse!"

Standing up, Rose realized she was on the wall instead of the floor. Frowning, she walked down the wall and put her feet on the floor. The gravity stabilized and she followed after the Doctor, who was already trying to push open the TARDIS doors. "You pull them, Doctor," she reminded him.

The Doctor blinked, scratched his head and then carefully pulled the doors in. He snorted. "I knew that..." And then without another word, the Time Lord jumped out of the TARDIS and into the world beyond.

**_AN: Please tell me what you think! I love reviews! I won't be able to update very fast when school starts again, so check out some of my other stories I've written while you're waiting! Thanks for reading!_**


	2. Pilot Fish

Chapter 2

Pilot Fish

_The Doctor giggled happily, untangling himself from a nest of wires. "Rose! Come on! Hurry up! Lets go see, Jackie and Mickey Mouse!"_

_Standing up, Rose realized she was on the wall instead of the floor. Frowning, she walked down the wall and put her feet on the floor. The gravity stabilized and she followed after the Doctor, who was already trying to push open the TARDIS doors. "You pull them, Doctor," she reminded him._

_The Doctor blinked, scratched his head and then carefully pulled the doors in. He snorted. "I knew that..." And then without another word, the Time Lord jumped out of the TARDIS and into the world beyond._

The Doctor stumbled into the light and tripped over a crack on the concrete. Halfway falling, he tumbled into the arms of a surprised mechanic.

Mickey grunted, pulling the young man up right. "Who are-?"

"Mickey!" the Doctor interrupted, throwing his arms around the mechanic. The paradox machine swung loosely around the Doctor's neck, pulsing with heat. "You look nothing like a mouse! I'm gonna call you that anyway." He saw Jackie, who stood in partial shock. She was still staring at the TARDIS and didn't see the young man's intentions until he lifted her in the air and spun her around. "Jackie Tyler! You're brilliant, you know that?"

"PUT ME DOWN!" Jackie screamed, smacking him.

Immediately, the Doctor dropped her. "It's very nice to see you lot again. You see…" he paused, wrapping an arm around both of the humans. "I've got something, really, _really _important to tell you…" He knocked his fist against his forehead and then suddenly shouted, "OH! I remember! Merry- merry _Christmas_!"

And with that, everything grew dark and the concrete rushed toward the Time Lord's face.

At first the Doctor couldn't feel anything. He was floating in a thick mist, a heavy darkness, but then, there was a small spark of light in the distance. It took all of his strength, but slowly, he placed his feet on the ground and stepped forward.

One foot after the other, that was his only goal.

Soon the light grew larger, large enough for him to slip through. It wasn't a spark, it was a crack. Studying it for a moment, the Doctor pushed through the mist and touched the light. It was warm and buzzed with life.

Shrugging, the Doctor pushed through the light. _Geronimo_…

And then he was falling, deeper and deeper into himself. It was a strange feeling, being inside your own timeline.

There were objects and faces he recognized, and some he didn't. Shelves full of memories and drawers of secrets were stuck along the walls of the tunnel he fell through. The sight dimly reminded him of a human story he read years and years ago. He couldn't recall the details, but he seemed to remember someone falling down a rabbit hole...

And then quick as it started, the Doctor tumbled to the ground. A puff of dust rose up and stung his eyes. Everything had a brown, misused sort of look and he couldn't see very far.

This was the center of his time line.

The Doctor's nose crinkled. _I was hoping for something more impressive._

It was totally unfamiliar, and yet painfully the opposite. He didn't remember it, but he knew that at one point he was locked up here with all the rest of his selves.

And then he saw them. They were like ghosts, shadows of someone who was or would be. The Doctor reached for the nearest one and was startled when the shadow jumped forward and gripped his hand.

He had an iron grip, but the Doctor found he wasn't afraid of the shadow. With fascination, he watched the color shift from his body into the shadow's. Then the color melted back into the Doctor's hand, and both of the men stood there with an equal amount of life.

The man looked at the Doctor. He wore grey just like all of the other ghosts. His eyebrow rose and he shook his head. "It's _my _turn," he said. His gravity defiant hair bounced up and down when he moved.

Feeling defencive, the Doctor crossed his arms. "Says who?"  
The man shook his head disapprovingly. "What number?"

"Eleven."

The man rolled his eyes, speaking slowly like he was talking to a child. "I'm. Ten. Ten come before evel-"

"I know! I know!" the Doctor cut him off with a wave of his hand and turned away. There was a moment of stiff silence, and then the eleventh doctor sighed."It's not like I meant for this to happen."  
"And that justifies creating massive paradoxes that might tear time apart?" the man snorted."The paradox machine will level things out a bit, but there will be consequences."

"I know."

The man scratched his chin, thinking. "There's no way to tell how it'll work out, but we just might die.."

Gulping, the Doctor closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Well you're a cheery one," he muttered.

"I'm just stating the fact-" Suddenly the man stopped. He swiveled around, seeming to listen for something. "You need to leave, Eleven. Rose is in trouble."

The Doctor's heart speed up. "What? How? What do you hear?"

The tenth doctor didn't answer, instead fleeing into the mist. "Go!" he shouted.

And then everything was flooded with light.

He could hear her voice now, echoing over and over and over again. _Help me, help me, help me. _The memory of his conversation with himself slowly faded into non-existence. It was nothing but a dream now. And like coming out of deep water, the Doctor burst into consciousness. His eyes flew open and everything was in a hyper focus. He could see and smell and feel everything at once.

_In a bedroom. _

_Jackie: Panicking_

_Mickey: Also panicking._

_Rose by the bed. _

_I'm in bed? Why?_

_Oh. And a murderous Christmas tree chewing the door. Can't miss that._

Something cold and round sat in his palm. Instince took over and he found himself pointing his sonic screwdriver at a deranged Christmas tree. His fingers found the buttons and pressed them without conscious thought. The Christmas tree leaves were spinning around at a ridiculous speed and effectively chopping down anything in its path, but the moment the Doctor pointed the sonic at it, the tree sparked and slowly came to a stop.

The Doctor blinked. "That was close." His mind fired rapidly and he threw himself out of the bed. Glancing down at his attire, he cringed. Pjs? Seriously?

Shaking his head, he burst out of the bedroom. A confused trio of humans trailed after him. "But what's controlling it?" He frowned at Rose.

Rose blinked. "Controlling what?"

The Doctor gave her a look like she'd just dribbled down her chin. "The Christmas tree, obviously."

Mickey nodded from behind Rose. "Obviously."

The Doctor didn't spare him a glance. He didn't have much time before the paradox machine put him under again. He was about to spin onto the balcony of Jackie's apartment when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in a mirror beside the door.

The Doctor froze and took in his brown, floppy sort of hair, green eyes and gangly appearance. "Well that's rubbish," he spoke, "I look _about _four."

Rose suppressed a smile. He did look quite young, and the too large Pj's weren't helping

The spell broken, the Doctor turned toward his companion. "Rose Tyler!" he accused, "_You _said I look like Gandalf!"

"No I didn't!" Rose protested, "I never said anythin'! You just babbled on!"

The Doctor blinked, pausing. "Did I? That's alright I suppose, I bit of a gob never hurt anybody." He smirked and then rushed onto the balcony. He'd assess his appearance with more diligence at a later date. Scanning the parking lot in front of him, the Doctor located seven santaclaus-clad robots.

Rose exited the apartment and stood behind the Gallifreyan. "Who're they?" She gestured to the robots.

"Pilot fish," the Doctor murmured, flicking his green eyes between the robots. Something was off about them... He ran a hand through his hair. It was still an odd feeling, having hair again. "They want me. The paradox I've created could power their toys and other shenanigans for _centuries_."

Suddenly a fire lit up behind the Time Lord's eyes and the Doctor stumbled backwards into the wall. Rose was by his side instantly. "Doctor? What's wrong?"

The paradoxes hurt. He could feel all of the conflicting realities, all of the could have been and should be's. The pain was crippling. Usually he could block it out, or avoid it, but now he was the center of the paradox, the middle of the storm. The paradox machine was the only thing keeping his sanity in tack. And right now the machine was still coming up with a compromise so the universe wouldn't kill him off. Hastily, the Doctor gripped the coin around his neck and after a few moments, the fire died within him. With a deep breath, the Doctor opened his eyes. He could still feel the conflicting realities around him, but now it was a controllable feeling. Instinctively, he knew that there was only suppose to be three pilot fish. However, his paradox attracted more of the pilot fish than a regeneration ever would.

"Rose." The Doctor's eyes locked with Rose's.

Rose's attention was on . "What's wrong? Is the necklace not working?" Concern colored her words.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, no it's working, but still calibrating, which is _fine_, but a bit bothersome since it hur-" he let out a cry of pain and sunk down onto the floor. The Doctor knew he was losing consciousness again. There was only a few moments left. He pointed the screwdriver at the Pilot fish, and they vanished. Locking on their teleport signal, he sent them back to wherever they came from.

And with that, the Time Lord was forced into oblivion once more.


	3. The Definition of Impossible

Chapter Three

The Definition of Impossible

"_What's wrong? Is the necklace not working?" Concern colored her words._

_The Doctor shook his head. "No, no it's working, but still calibrating, which is fine, but a bit bothersome since it hur-" he let out a cry of pain and sunk down onto the floor. The Doctor knew he was losing consciousness again. There was only a few moments left. He pointed the screwdriver at the Pilot fish, and they vanished. Locking on their teleport signal, he sent them back to wherever they came from._

_And with that, the Time Lord was forced into oblivion once more_.

"The world is ending and we're having a picnic. Very British." Mickey's voice echoed through the Doctor's half conscious mind. He attempted to sit up, but found a great weight upon him. It reminded the Gallifreyan of a time he was almost crushed by an alien species with the resemblance of an elephant.

_Alright. Can't move, but I can listen. Rubbish._

"What do we do? We can't just sit here!" That was Rose. "The whole world's falling apart!"

If he had control over his eyes, the Doctor would have rolled them. Of _course _the world was falling apart. He couldn't go into a coma for _one second _without the world trying to end...

Then there was Jackie's voice. "We're safe in the TARDIS, right?"

And Mickey again. "It's not like we can do much anyways, Rose. Not with the Doctor like this..."

The Doctor mulled over Mickey's words. What was Mickey referring to? Oh yes. Randomly collapsing into a coma. Very irritating.

Devoid of other distractions, the Gallifreyan could feel the mind of the TARDIS clearer than he usually did. He was in his ship. The Tyler's must have carried him there. The TARDIS nudged him gently, and several images flashed before his eyes. Brainwashed people lining the edge of buildings around the world, a massive rock-like spaceship floating above London, a broadcast on the Telly.

Typical alien invasion.

Couldn't they _ever _give it a rest?

He sighed inwardly and the TARDIS sent a sarcastic flash of sympathy. _How bothersome_, she seemed to say, _to always be needed by the universe._

Oh shut up.

Suddenly the grated floor of the TARDIS shifted and rumbled. There was a crash and a bang. Jackie gave a shout. "What's happening?!"

"I don't know!" Rose answered.

But the Doctor knew.

How to conquer the Earth?

Capture its strongest defender.

How to capture the Earth's strongest defender?

Take his TARDIS.

The TARDIS continued to jostle her occupants for several more seconds, before finally coming to a rest.

If he was right, which he usually was, then they had just been teleported onto the massive, rock-like spaceship floating above London. On the plus side, as long as they stayed inside the TARDIS they would be fine.

The Doctor wanted to feel sarcastic and annoyed, the way his ninth self would have, but this new him felt giddy with excitement. An adventure! How cool was that?!

Right. So his list of new things had just grown longer.

He wasn't Gandalf.

He wasn't number ten.

And he most definitely was a thrill seeker.

A hand gripped his arm to keep him from sliding away. Rose. How thoughtful, despite being just a _teensy _bit humiliating.

The world was ending and the Doctor was paralyzed. Great.

"Have we landed?" Jackie asked from a few feet away.

"I think so," answered Rose. The Doctor heard her clamber to her feet. "Let's see."

_No_! He wanted to shout. _Don't go out there!_ But all he could do was lay on the floor of his ship.

Yes. This situation was definitely becoming more and more humiliating.

"What about the Doctor?" Mickey asked.

"Have Jackie stay with him."

_Oh that's just __**perfect**__,_ the Doctor thought sarcastically. Now he would be alone with Rose's mother. He cringed inwardly, remembering the several occasions he was smacked by her hand.

"Wait! Rose!" Mickey called. A door slammed, and the Doctor quickly had the TARDIS lock it. Who knew what trouble someone like Mickey might fall in to.

"Great," Mickey muttered, "Go out there and get yourself killed! I'll just be here, locked up in his time machine!" He huffed angrily and kicked a thermostat of tea Jackie insisted on bringing. It burst open and dribbled over some wires under the console. Mickey didn't notice.

The best thing to do with Mickey and Jackie was to keep them busy for a while, the Doctor reasoned.

Mickey was leaning against the console, pouting, when he heard Jackie shout from down a hall. Glancing up, he realized for the first time that Rose's mum was nowhere to be found. Something in the TARDIS had caught her eye. Concerned, Mickey leaned into the hallway. "Jackie?"

"Over here!" Jackie shouted from deeper inside of the TARDIS. "Mickey, you have to come see this!"

Mickey hesitated. "I-I don't know if that's a good idea Mrs. Tyler. What if we get lost?"

"Come and see!"

Mickey let loose a tired sigh and the Doctor listened closely to his retreating footsteps. He heaved a sigh of relief. The TARDIS's massive halls would keep them busy for a bit.

Now he needed to wake up. Completely.

But he couldn't. The paradox machine was still calibrating, attempting to come up with a solution that did not result in his death.

Apparently that solution was hard to come by.

He could feel the silver coin pulsing on his chest, in time with his heartbeats.

Ba-ba-bum-bum, ba-ba-bum-bum.

If only there was a way to speed up this process...

The answer came in a flash.

_Of course!_

Time energy from the TARDIS would speed it up! ...But he needed a way to get the energy to sink into the coin, which presented a problem.

The TARDIS sent him an image, and for a moment the Doctor was confused. What would a cup of tea do?

And then he remembered.

It took all of his strength and more to open his eyes, but he persisted. He _needed _to wake up. NOW!

With a groan of exertion, the Doctor heaved himself up and then collapse face down a few inches to his left, right where Mickey's tea spilled onto the TARDIS's wires. The tea dribbled onto the wires, hissed, and caused steam to drift upwards along with the time energy it had collected upon contact.

For a moment the Doctor lost consciousness. The paradox machine around his neck heated up to an almost unbearable temperature, but he couldn't move away from it. The paradox machine around the Doctor's neck ate the steam up and continued its efforts with renewed vigor.

It pulsed faster and faster, and soon it was vibrating with energy and heat and a red light. At any moment, it seemed it would explode.

But then as quickly as it started, it stopped. The red pulses of light faded and turned green before disappearing altogether.

Finally.

The paradox machine had come to a compromise with the universe.

What that compromise was, only would be known with time.

The Doctor gasped, energy filling him. His hearts sped up and then slowed down again. Light filled his veins and then faded again. He grinned. "That's what I'm _talking _about!" He thrust a fist in the air and jerked himself to his feet. He stumbled to the TARDIS doors, his head buzzing with energy.

Without protest, the doors swung inward to reveal the inside of a spaceship. It was all made of some sort of shady stone like a cave might be. The room was very open, with a high ceiling and a large opening that allowed a view of London's westward-bound Sun. Across the room, a bowl sat on a tall, stone stand, a button beside it, and to the left, a large hologram broadcasted live from Earth. The screen showed people from every county standing on the edges of buildings, seemingly ready to jump. Nine foot, red-faced creatures with skull-like helmets lined the walls of the spaceship, and their leader stood on a tall platform where the bowl was. They were Sycorax.

Oh. He hadn't run into them in a _long _while.

The Doctor remembered his last experience with this species going in just about the same manner as this.

Nearby were several humans, one of which was Prime Minister Harriet Jones, and another was his yellow and pink Rose Tyler.

The Doctor saw that his companion was trying to negotiate with the alien, but at the moment, all of the humans and were stunned into silence, staring at him. The Doctor recognized confusion on the human faces, but he honestly couldn't unravel the emotions of the alien leader. He blinked at the scene and then smirked, "You can stop gulping like fishy...things now."

He caught Rose's eye. "Oh hello! This whole situation is a _bit _like a banana, don't you think?" He frowned. "Just quite a bit more threatening. A banana is probably the most harmless thing in the universe... if you're not counting Hob-squash, which is so harmless, it take a miracle to hurt yourself with it. Yeah. It's like a banana with aliens in the mix and..." he thought for a moment. "Well... not very banana-y at all..." He waved his words away, stepping out of the TARDIS. "Actually, forget the banana, Rose. This is bit bit more pear shaped, I think."

Rose just gaped. "Are you okay?"

"Course I'm alright!" He shouted, spinning in a circle. "I'm smack dab in the middle of a Sycorax invasion, what could be better?"

"You will cease your outpouring of gibberish!" The Sycorax commander, who stood on a raised platform, said.

The Doctor chuckled and skipped toward the alien with his hands clasped behind his back. "Is that what I'm doing? Maybe that's something this me does. I can deal with that."

The Sycorax commander glowered at him. "Identify yourself," he commanded.

The Doctor's eyebrow rose and he shook his head. He poked each rock as he passed it, much to the Sycorax's annoyance. "Yes. Well, you see, I don't think I'll do that because, come to think of it, you _probably _know who I am better than I do." He chuckled. "And you don't recognize me, which puts it into a perspective a bit. Right now, I'm still up to debate." He shrugged. "Which is fine. I'll get use to it."

Suddenly his eyes zeroed in on an object near him. It was a small bowl filled with blood. Human blood. Next to it was a large red button. His fingers twitched.

"But hang on a mo', now That is interesting..." He clamored up onto the platform and peered into the bowl. "And a bit disgusting," he added.

Then a smile crept up his lips. "Blood control! Ha!" He chuckled. "That's how you're controlling all those people!" He glanced at the red button next to the bowl. "Now, everyone knows I can never resist a giant don't-press-me- button." He lifted his hand and Rose jumped forward.

"Don't-"

"I just have to- to-" He slammed his hand on the button. The humans cried out in dismay.

Immediately, their eyes glued themselves to the screen broadcasting the Earth. Instead of jumping off the buildings, the hypnotized people stepped back abruptly and looked around in confusion.

Rose exhaled. "They didn't jump!" she looked in confusion at the Doctor. "How did you do that? The button was supposed to make them jump."

The Doctor snorted. "Oh dearie, that would have been unfortunate." He paused. "Luckily, it's impossible!" Plopping down on the edge of the platform, he dangled his gangly legs over the edge. "You see, blood control is a wonderful bit of hypnosis. You can make people dance, imitate fruit, fall in love, but..." He stretched out the word. "You can't hypnotize them to death. The human instinct to survive is too strong. It breaks the 'spell'." He hopped back up and faced the Sycorax, who was currently personifying death. "I assume," the Doctor spoke, "you were counting on the ignorance of these humans in order to blackmail them into submission." His eyes widened. "Oh, that sounded _so _grown up!"

Anger rushed to the Sycorax's face and all at once, he stormed toward the Doctor with a roar. Quickly, the Doctor ducked underneath the alien's grasp. Realizing he'd missed his catch, the Sycorax spun around and headed back toward the Doctor again.

"Oh cause this is perfectly logical!" the Doctor squeaked, "I foil your plan and you try to kill me! Very original!"

The Sycorax roared and tried to rush the Doctor once more. Smoothly sidestepping him, the Doctor smirked, bouncing on his heels. "I'm starting to like this regeneration, very fast." He rolled his eyes when the Sycorax made to charge him again. "Are you going to keep this up much longer? I've got things to do, places to see, people to meet, if you don't mind."

"Stay still!" the Sycorax roared. He missed the Time Lord again.

Chuckling nervously, the Doctor ducked behind a rock stand that held up the bowl of blood. "I don't think I'll do that," he piped. "I have a limit. One death per week. But if you make an appointment next week, I might be able to fit you into my schedu-"

"Cease your blabbering!" The Sycorax roared. He seemed to realize that charging the Time Lord was futile. He stopped and instead withdrew a massive mace from his belt. Holding it over his head, the sword flashed in the evening light. Spit flew from the Sycorax's mouth as he roared, "I challenge you, puny human, to a battle for the ownership of Earth!"

The Doctor coughed, startled. "Human?" he scoffed, "_Puny_?" He was about to put the alien in his place, but decided to hold his tongue. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage...

So he smirked and nodded rapidly. "Fine. Sure. Whatever. I accept your challenge. Got a few minutes to spare."

The Sycorax commander gestured with his head for a fellow Sycorax to hand the 'human' a sword. "You are brave, ape, but it will do you no good in the end."

"_Ape_!" The Doctor protested, but then he remembered he was keeping quiet. He scratched his neck awkwardly. "Just to confirm, the looser steps down and let's the other do what he wants to the plane-oohff" The Doctor jerked forward under the weight of the sword thrust at him.

"That is the idea." the Sycorax confirmed moodily. Meanwhile, the humans looked on in dismay.

"We're screwed," Harriet whispered.

Rose, by Harriet's side, cocked her head. "Don't underestimate him, Jones, you've seen the Doctor in action."

"Yes, indeed I have," Harriet conceded, remembering her previous encounter with the Doctor. "But not like this, not as this _new _him." She bit her lip. "Can he even use a sword?"

Rose thought for a moment. "He's not particularly fond of weapons as a rule, and by the way he's holding that sword, I'd say no."

Harriet sighed. "Then the battle is already lost." While they were murmuring, the Doctor had asked for a moment to speak to the other humans. The request was granted and the Doctor hopped off the platform. He caught the tail-end of Jones and Rose's conversation.

"Oh I wouldn't say that!" He spoke from behind them.

Both Rose and Jones jumped. They hadn't realized that the Doctor had moved toward them. The Doctor grinned at Harriet. "Well hello!" He wiggled his fingers at her. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Harriet said nothing for several seconds. "Are you _really _the Doctor?" She questioned. Now that she saw the Doctor close, she was struck by how totally different he was.

The Doctor nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Hi. It's sort of like… um, an Iphone getting a new case! It looks looks different, but still has the same mechanics." He shrugged. "Same man. New face. It happens."

Harriet frowned, confused. "Sorry, a _what_-phone?"

"You know, thin flat things?" he gestured with his hands as he spoke. "Primitive stuff really, but you're getting better." He paused, biting his tongue."Wait, sorry, blimey. IPhones _might _not have been popular outside of America until 2012..." He shrugged and pointed at his head. "Forget what I just said. Years are a bit clumped together right now..."

Harriet was still confused. She glanced uncertainly at him, but the Doctor didn't seem to notice. He turned to Rose. "Right. So here are our options. A. the Sycorax wins and takes over the Earth. And B. I win and the Sycorax breaks his vow and tries to conquer us anyway." he paused. "On the bright side, at least they won't make us eat apples! Apples are rubbish... I think."

Rose blinked. That sounded rather bleak. And when she said rather, she meant extremely.

"Then what are you going to do?" Rose asked.

The Doctor looked at her in surprise. Then he smiled. "What I always do. Be extremely clever.."

Harriet huffed. "That's rubbish."

"Hasn't failed me yet!" came the Doctor's reply.

Rose was silent, contemplating. She trusted the Doctor, _her _Doctor... So if this young man _truly _was the Doctor... Then she supposed she would have to trust him also.

The Sycorax was getting impatient. He slammed the butt of his sword against the floor and roared.

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor spun on his heels so that he faced the alien. "Alright! Alright!" He waved his hands dismissively. "I'm coming!"

And come he did.

Hauling his sword onto the platform, the Doctor scampered after it and stood dwarfed next to his enemy. With his too large Pajamas and massive sword, he looked like child playing 'knight'.

Except, this 'child' held the fate of the planet in his hands.

Harriet Jones gulped. Straying to her pocket, her hand brushed across her cellphone. When things went wrong, she was prepared.

Earth was not defenseless. One click of a button and this problem of theirs would be eliminated.

Of course, it would be at the cost of not only her life, but all of the people around her.

But it was the honorable thing to do, right? Sacrifice the few to save the many?

Unless the Doctor did the impossible and managed to win. But Harriet seriously doubted that possibility.

However, there was something no one on that ship but Rose knew. The Doctor by definition, was the personification of the impossible.

_**AN: PLEASE REVIEW! ;)))**_


	4. The Stone Cold Night

Chapter Four

The Stone Cold Night

_Earth was not defenseless. One click of a button and this problem of theirs would be eliminated._

_Of course, it would be at the cost of not only her life, but all of the people around her._

_But it was the honorable thing to do, right? Sacrifice the few to save the many?_

_Unless the Doctor did the impossible and managed to win. But Harriet seriously doubted that possibility._

_However, there was something no one on that ship but Rose knew. The Doctor by definition, was the personification of the impossible._

"You can still step down, if you like," the Doctor coughed, "I'll let you go without any harm."

The Sycorax laughed. it was a rumbling, haughty sound. "I will crush you like a _bug_. I am not afraid of you, human weakling."

The Doctor shook his head disapprovingly. "That's where you're mistaken."

The Sycorax didn't take time to think about his attack. He rushed forward and brought his sword down onto… nothing.

The Doctor stood a few feet to the left, tapping his foot. He dragged his sword behind him as he ran circles around the giant alien. "Catch me if you can!" he cried in a sing-song tone.

Roaring indignantly, the Sycorax raced after him and tried swipe down again. Nothing but air met his deadly blade. This happened again and again and the Doctor continued to dance around the red giant.

however, after a particularly quick swipe, the Doctor lost his balance and tripped over a stone laying on the dirt floor. The sword came rushing down to end the life of the Time Lord, and this time the alien made contact. But the Doctor was ready. He brought up his sword at the last moment, one hand on the blade and another on the handle. The Sycorax's sword landed in between and clanging metal stung the ears of the onlookers throughout the ship. Blood dripped off of the hand that held up the blade, and stained the Doctor's clothing, but he just gripped his defence tighter.

Seemingly without effort, the Sycorax leaned lower and lower. Soon the Doctor was crouched underneath his sword. His arms trembled with effort, and as the sword fell lower and lower, the Doctor thrust out a leg and kicked the Sycorax's foot. Roaring, the Sycorax lost his footing and crashed forward. Quickly, the Doctor rolled out of the way.

A new strategy, that was what he needed. Quickly, the Doctor discarded his sword and climbed up a jagged tower of rocks.

Harriet frowned. "What's he doing?!" she whisper shouted. the Humans were huddled in a circle around the TARDIS.

Rose just shook her head, her eyes wide. A moment ago, she had been certain her friend's life was about to end. Half a second longer, and she would have rushed to try to help him. "I dunno."

"_You know what_?!" the Doctor shouted at the Sycorax from the top of his pile of rocks. His hands rested on his hips like he was claiming the pile for himself. "I think I've met you before!"  
"Get down here, you coward!" the Sycorax roared. Roaring seemed to be his prefered method of communication.

The Doctor ignored his opponent. "Yes," he mused. His right hand dripped blood onto the stones. "Are you by chance related to the Slitherine? The family resemblance is striking!"

The Sycorax paused, not sure if he had just been insulted or not. He decided he didn't care either way and waved his sword in the air. "Come down here so I can kill you!"

The Doctor laughed. "Do you really think I'm that stupid!"  
"You are a stupid ape!"  
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Hate to break it to you, but even _they _aren't that stupid." he gestured toward the humans and the moment the Sycorax's eyes were off of him, he took a running leap over his opponent's head and fell to the ground. He hit the dirt floor with a less than graceful 'thud', but was up in an instant . If the Sycorax had not been totally infuriated, he might have realized that the twenty foot fall was much too far for a human to jump down without a scratch. As it was, the Sycorax growled and whirled around. He swung his sword wildly and cut through a pile of rocks, but the flesh of his opponent was still unscathed. Dashing toward an area outside the mouth of the ship, the Doctor glanced at the skyline and smirked.

Perfect.

"Oi, Skullface! Try to keep up!" he stuck his tongue out.

The Sycorax, blind with fury, rushed after the Time Lord, which was exactly what the Doctor wanted. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

"That might prove to be a _bit _difficult," the Doctor answered. There was a small control panel imbedded in the rock wall and the moment his opponent exited the ship's confines, he brought up the force field that enabled the ship to travel safely through space. Quickly, he dodged the Sycorax's sword, nearly tripping on the uneven terrain. "I'm sort of hard to kill, kinda annoying that way…" He pedled backwards, away from the entrance and closer to the edge of the ship.

"You are wrong," the Sycorax countered, swiping again. He paused and panted. "One stab to the heart, and the human's feeble body gives up!"

The Doctor ducked under the swinging metal and shrugged. "Getting tired?" he asked, smirking, "We can call it a day, if you like. Go fly off in your spaceship and we can pretend this never happened!"

"I will not relent!" the Sycorax shouted. His attacks came faster now and the Doctor was having a harder time dodging them. He considered running for his sword, but a glance westward killed this idea. He just needed to keep the Sycorax out here for a few minutes longer.

However, that glance cost him. Suddenly he found himself on the floor, shoved down by the Sycorax's foot.

The Sycorax's sword leveled at his chest and the Sycorax contorted his face into what must have been a triumphant smile. "I have you now, pest."

The Doctor stared up at him, his face covered in dust. " Before you kill me," he said, "you might want to consider how you do it."

The Sycorax frowned, confused. "What?"

"I mean," the Doctor explained, "You're about to make history as Earth's new leader. you might as well do it with style, right?"

That made sense to the Sycorax. He nodded slowly but did not loosen the pressure on the Doctor's chest.

The Doctor saw that the Sycorax was listening and inwardly sighed with relief. "So how are going to kill me? There are _much _more interesting ways to kill a human besides a quick stab to the heart. Where's the style in that?"

Somewhere in the Sycorax's thick head, he wondered why his victim would offer this sort of information, but the warrior was too distracted to listen to that tiny voice..

"You could chop off my arms, you could slice my throat," the Doctor listed, "you could, um… cook me? The possibilities are endless!"

Now the Sycorax wasn't sure what to do. The human had a point. He needed to emerge victorious, but how much better to emerge with a flash and bang! without realizing it, his hold on the sword had lessened.

With a speed impossible to man, the Doctor swatted the sword off his chest and rolled away. "HA!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

The Sycorax, astonished by the 'human's' speed, was momentarily stunned; however, he recovered almost instantly. Roaring, the Sycorax gave up chasing his opponent and threw the sword at him instead.

The Doctor wasn't expecting the move. The sword spun at a blinding speed and he had just enough time to keep his body out of harms way; however, his hand wasn't so lucky. Speeding over the edge of the ship, the sword sliced through the Doctor's wrist and sent the appendage tumbling.

He cried out in anguish and grabbed his wounded ligament. The Doctor's knees gave out and he squeezed his eyes shut, as if that would somehow block out the pain.

A gurgling, evil laugh escaped the Sycorax's mouth. "Killing with style," he said, "I like it."

The Doctor waited for the killing blow. Distantly, he could hear Rose banging against the force field he'd put up, but he ignored the sound.

He kept waiting, but the blow never came. A warmth filled the stump where his hand had been and he could see swirls of light from behind his closed eyes.

Relief filled him as the pain faded and he forced his emerald eyes open. "Woah."

The Doctor watched with fascination as his left hand grew back, the fingers growing longer by the seconded. He made a fist and then opened his new hand. "Regeneration is so cool," he murmured, grinning. "It's not been twenty four hours yet, so that means that this," he gestured at the hand in awe, "can happen."

The Time Lord stood up slowly, testing the new ligament out. He'd completely forgotten about the Sycorax, but now his opponent spoke. If the Doctor wasn't mistaken there was a slight quaver underneath the Sycorax's rumbling voice.

"You are not human."

"Hmm?" the Doctor glanced up. "Ah, no. Not exactly. That's a bit obvious now, isn't it?"

The Sycorax took a very, very small step back as the Doctor came up to his full height, which was still several feet shorter than the Sycorax; however, somehow the Doctor held himself in a way that made him seem much taller.

"You're not-?" the Sycorax started.

"I'm not what? Cat got your tongue? If you have a tongue, that is..." the Doctor stepped forward and the Sycorax stepped back. Suddenly the Sycorax had a feeling that challenging this man was a very, _very _big mistake. He knew who the TARDIS was said to belong to, but he never imagined that the owner would look like this.

The Doctor could feel the Sycorax's reluctance and he smirked. "Now you see me. Hello!" he wriggled the wriggled the fingers on his new hand. He stepped closer to the alien, no longer afraid, but his opponent was obviously so. The Doctor stuck out his lip. "Oh don't be afraid of me." He pointed a thumb at the skyline, where the last slivers of sunlight had disappeared, "_That_, on the other hand, should make you very, _very _afraid. You've run out of daylight, it seems"

The Sycorax risked a glance, and what he saw caused him to go a shade of pink. He gave his opponent a last look, and then raced off at an impressive speed for his bulk. the Doctor put his hands in his pockets and watched as his shadow grew longer and longer. "Night's coming, dear Sycorax."

The Sycorax reached the entrance of his ship, but bounced backwards against the force field. He was confused for a moment, and then terror rushed through him. The commander pounded on the invisable wall, begging his comrades to open the gate.

Slowly, the Doctor skipped toward his opponent. "The Sycorax can't hear or see you just the humans. I programmed it sort of like a one-way mirror, but… selective." he paused, watching night's shadow creep closer and closer to the Sycorax. "It took about half a second and now I'm the only one who can open the gate." he fingered the electronic he had in his pocket. It would do the trick.

The Sycorax turned toward him immediately. "Then open it!"

The Doctor nodded several times. "Yes, of course. Obviously. _Buuut_, you will agree to leave this planet and never return. Do you understand?"

The commander hesitated and the Doctor bit his lip nervously. "Come on! Quickly! You've only got a few moments!"

"Fine! I agree!" the Sycorax spat, "Now open the gate!"  
The Doctor shrugged and pressed a button on the electronic he'd taken off of the control panel inside the ship. Immediately the gate evaporated and the Sycorax stumbled in. Once he was in the cave, the bright, warm lights would keep him safe. The Doctor hopped in after him, noting the shadow as it reached the edge of the ship's interior. _Not a moment too soon…_

"We're done here." He spoke to Rose, who stood in shock next to the gate.

Rose nodded mutely, staring at him with a mixed expression. She'd seen the whole fight just like the other humans.

The Doctor frowned. "What?"

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly the Sycorax commander rose up behind the Doctor, a massive fist posed to strike him down. Without turning, or reacting in any other way, the Doctor calmly took a fruit out of his pocket and threw it backwards. It bounced off the wall and smacked the Sycorax. Startled, the commander stepped backwards and tripped over the uneven floor. With a roar, he fell backwards and a single finger singed the night outside.

Instantly the commander grew rigid and his hand became an ashen grey. Speeding up, the color rushed through the Sycorax's veins, and within the moments every single atom of the alien hardened into solid rock.

Everyone stood in complete silence, shocked, even the other Sycorax's.

The Doctor was the first to speak. He addressed all of the Sycorax. "As I said, we're done here." He stepped toward his TARDIS and the doors opened without complaint. Rose and the other humans quickly entered the Time Lord's ship.

Soon it was just the Doctor standing in front of the TARDIS. He stepped halfway into the doorway and addressed the alien invaders. "You're leader is dead, turned to stone by the cold of the night by his own folly." he cocked his head at them and spoke loudly. "You're not the first to try something like this. Ha! Oh no, there have been _so _many. And the question you have to ask is, what happened to them?" A grim expression covered his face like a veil. "Leave this place and tell everyone you meet, the Earth. Is. Defended." He spoke each word with force and then calmly looked them in the eye. "I am the Doctor... In other words. Run."

With that, the Doctor stepped into his ship and the TARDIS dematerialized.

And you better bet they ran.

**_AN: Please Review! I had the BEST time writing this!_**


	5. A Compromise

Chapter Five

"Leave this place and tell everyone you meet, the Earth. Is. Defended." He spoke each word with force and then calmly looked them in the eye. "I am the Doctor... In other words. Run."

With that, the Doctor stepped into his ship and the TARDIS dematerialized.

And you better bet they ran.

Rose's legs dangled over the side of the floor grating in the TARDIS. Mickey and Jackie had wandered into the console a few minutes ago, dazed looks on their faces, and Rose had sent them outside, where the other humans were. As soon as the Doctor got into some actual clothes on, she and the Doctor would join them. But for now she waited.

Rose wasn't gonna lie, that display of the Doctor's power had scared her. Sometimes she forgot that he wasn't human, but then he'd do something like change his face and grow a bloody hand, and Rose became painfully aware of how much of an alien he really was.

And yes, it terrified her. It terrified her, the way the Sycorax looked at the Doctor as he was turning into stone, but what was worse was the look in her friend's eyes as he watched the alien die. He had his emotions completely under lock and key. It was yet another reminder of how alien the Doctor was.

She knew she should talk to him about it, tell him how much she loved being around him, and how terrified she was that she'd lose him. She'd already lost the Doctor she knew, and she was just barely getting to know this one. She couldn't afford to lose him again.

Rose had thought about leaving, but now she realized that she loved traveling with him too much to leave. Yes he was different, but maybe given some time, she could hope to at least become friends with this new him?

Sighing, she stood up. What was taking that idiot so long?

"Doctor?" she called softly. Slowly, Rose climbed up a spiral staircase she hoped led to the dressing room.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she looked up and down a long hallway. It was empty except for a single door at the end. The door was cracked open slightly, and yellow light spilled onto the metal grating. Smiling, Rose entered crossed the call and looked through the door.

The Doctor stood in front of a large mirror in the largest wardrobe Rose had ever seen. He had black dress pants on, suspenders connected to his pants but not on his shoulders, and at least ten different ties around his Doctor spun around, surprise coloring his eyes. The numerous neckwear articles swung back and forth.

He smiled at Rose and held up three of the ties. "Wadaya think? I believe I'm indecisive."

Rose shrugged. "You could always wear something normal like a t-shirt and jeans.

The Doctor blanched. "No way! That would be ridiculous!"

"Actually, it wouldn't."

He opened his mouth and then shut it again. Scowling, he spun toward the mirror and shrugged off several of the ties. Buttoning a white dress shirt over his pale chest, he pulled up the red suspenders that hung from his pants. "I just don't like that sort of thing now."

Rose sighed and leaned against a rack of clothing. It held several strange outfits, and a ridiculously long scarf caught her eye. She touched it briefly, wondering who would wear such an odd item. "You used to wear jeans and t-shirts all the time."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. He narrowed his selection down to a single blue stripe of fabric. "Yes, well, I don't now." He finished his last adjustments and turned to her. "What do ya think?"

"I think you're mad."

He grinned like this was a compliment and straightened his bow tie. "It's cool."

Rose's eyebrows rose but she said nothing.

Huffing the Doctor snatched a tweed jacket off of the back of a nearby chair and slung it over his shoulder.

Rolling her eyes, Rose stood up with a chuckle. Whatever. If he wanted to dress like an old man, than she wasn't gonna stop him. Rose had more important things to think about anyway.

The Doctor was about the rush of the room, but Rose's thin hand on his arm halted him.

"Doctor," she spoke. "I've been meaning to ask. What exactly was wrong with you earlier? What is that?" She pointed to the necklace swinging around his neck. He hadn't taken it off for a single second.

The Doctor paused, contemplating her request. He had promised to tell her what had happened, and he supposed after scaring her so bad when he regenerated, she deserved an explanation.

He sighed and plopped down in a wooden chair. Running his hands through his hair, the Doctor looked Rose in the eye. "This necklace," He pointed at it. "Is the only thing keeping me not only sane, but alive." He chewed his lip. "You see, what killed me earlier was the time energy I absorbed. It messed with the order of my regenerations. I'm nine hundred, and this me," he pointed at himself. "Isn't suppose to appear until I'm nine hundred and seven-"

Rose opened her mouth but the Doctor held up a hand.

"Don't ask how I know that, I just do."

Rose frowned. "But I don't understand, why is it such a big deal?"

The Doctor laughed without humor and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a big deal because some things are set-frozen points in time. Because I'm here instead of the proper me, I might make different decisions, or not do what I'm suppose to do." He paused, waving his hands about."But I have to do it because it's a set point in time."

Nodding slowly, Rose thought she sort or understood. "So that's why your being here is a paradox. The necklace gets rid of the paradox?"

"Not exactly," the Doctor answered slowly, "It's made of silver, which blocks a lot of the timey wimey...stuff. To me, paradoxes create a severe allergic reaction of sorts. Too much exposure and I'll go mad. Kind of like a peanut allergy, but with...time, sort of."

"The coin helps get rid of the reaction, but can't stop the paradox, especially when the wearer is the center of it." He fingered the coin gently. "A tiny computer in the coin tries to figure out a way to keep me alive without the paradox exploding the universe."

Rose was silent, attempting to understand all of the information shoved at her. "So it worked then? It found a way around the paradox."

Shrugging, the Doctor stood up. "It came to a compromise."

"A compromise?"

"Yes." Suddenly the Doctor looked very, very old. He looked her in the eye and put his hands on her shoulders gently. "But no compromise comes without consequences," He was serious now and his voice was a low murmur.

"What sort of consequences?" Rose whispered.

And all at once, the Doctor's serious expression fled, replaced by a smirk. "I dunno! Could be anything! We'll just have to see."

Spinning on his heels, the Doctor yanked open the door. "Come along, Tyler. We should join everyone outside. " He smiled at her. "Geronimo..."

_**AN: Sorry about the wait. School, life, stuff. Yeah. Please REVIEW! What's your favorite Doctor Who season eight episode so far?**_


	6. The Adventure Begins

Chapter Six

"_No compromise comes without consequences," he spoke._

_"What sort of consequences?" Rose whispered._

_And all at once, the Doctor's serious expression fled, replaced by a smirk. "I dunno! Could be anything! We'll just have to see."_

_Spinning on his heels, the Doctor yanked open the door. "Come along, Tyler. We should join everyone outside. " He smiled at her. "Geronimo…"_

Once Rose exited the TARDIS, the events blurred together. One moment they were all grinning at each other, watching the alien invaders retreat, and the next Harriet Jones whispered into her cellphone and the ship was gone.

Just like that. Obliterated.

The Doctor stiffened at Rose's side. "You stupid, stupid human," he growled under his breath. Stomping toward Harriet, he slapped her phone out of her hand. "They were _leaving_!" He shouted at her.

Harriet didn't reply.

Disgust coloring his face, the Doctor shook his head. "You didn't have to do that!"

"That's where you're wrong, Doctor," she argued, indignant.

The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and burned a hole in the floor with his eyes. "No. This time- _this _time I'm right. There were living things on that ship! Hundreds of them!"

"They were going to murder all of us!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and stomped angrily. "Oh, so that's makes it alright then? You can just murder them back. They were _leaving_!" He pointed a finger accusingly at her. "You are _no _better than them."

Rose was silent, watching.

The Doctor stared daggers at the Prime Minister, but she didn't back down. "I could take you down with one word," he growled.

Harriet lifted her chin. "I'm starting to wonder what side you're on, Doctor," she spoke.

The Doctor frowned, confused by her subject change. His hair ruffled and fell in his eyes as a blast of nippy wind stirred London. "What?"

"What makes you think _you _can dictate _my _actions?" Harriet snapped. "Are you really so much better than us, hmm? Why are you so _loyal _to us insignificant humans anyway? What is your true plan?" She scoffed "One word! Ha!"

Rose could see the fire sparking behind the Doctor's eyes and she rushed forward. "Doctor," she whispered sharply, "Doctor, please." She knew the look in his eyes, and she didn't want to see the consequences of it. "Let's leave. Please, let's just leave."

But the Doctor ignored her. He stepped toward Harriet and looked the Prime Minister straight in the eye. Suddenly his attitude changed. "You're right. Can't do it in one word," he paused, "but I can do it with with six."

Harriet frowned in confusion. "Sorry, what?" she glanced at Rose. "He can do what?"

The Doctor just shook his head and walked away. Rose followed.

Slowly and carefully, the Doctor leaned over and whispered six words into the ear of one of the other humans.

"Don't you think she looks tired?" And then he reached for Rose's hand and walked toward the TARDIS. Rose took it.

Harriet's aid glanced at Harriet and saw that indeed, she did look a bit worse for wear.

And just like that Rose watched the Time Lord change history, shortening Harriet's time as Prime Minister.

Harriet screamed at her aid to tell her what the Doctor said, but the aid was silent.

Soon their voices faded into the background. It was just Rose, the Doctor... Mickey and Jackie.

Mickey looked like a lost puppy. "You're goin' off with him again?" He said to Rose.

Rose smiled sadly at him. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

She leaned forward and hugged her mum tightly. "I'll be back." She whispered again.

Jackie nodded briskly and turned to the Doctor.

He had his hand laid out flat, catching the snow that fell from the sky.

Rose glanced up and smiled. "It's snowing!" She laughed.

The Doctor nodded. "Well sort of. It's actually ash from the spaceship and-"

Rose gave him and sharp look and his jaw snapped shut.

"You know, actually, I think it might possibly be snow."

Jackie suppressed a smile and gave the Time Lord a once over. "You take good care of her," she ordered.

The Doctor gave Jackie a funny sort of salute and then opened the door into his TARDIS. "Of course ma'am."

He glanced at Rose and grinned manically. "Come along Pon-" he fumbled over his words and a baffled expression made his forehead crinkle. "I mean, ah. Tyler. Rose Tyler of course."

Rose opened her mouth and then shut it when she saw the look in the Doctor's eye.

_I don't know. Don't ask,_ his eyes seemed to say.

So she shrugged stepped into the TARDIS. "Goodbye, mum!" She waved. "I'll bring you lots of souvenirs!"

And with that the Doctor shut the TARDIS doors and immediately the machine began to dematerialize.

Jackie sighed. What Rose didn't seem to understand was that she didn't want a trinket from some far planet, she wanted her daughter.

But it was too late now, the Doctor and Rose were gone.

The TARDIS wheezed and groaned as it flew through the Time Vortex.

Rose sat in a padded chairs off to the side and watched the Doctor whizz about. His movements were more chaotic than the Doctor she knew, like he was barely in control and hoped he was pressing the right buttons.

It was unfamiliar, but fitting to his changed personality and appearance, Rose thought.

"So where do you want to go?" he called over his shoulder, not stopping.

Rose pretended to think for a moment and then shrugged. "Surprise me."

Grinning, the Doctor slammed a hammer on to console, turned a dial, and spun in a circle. "Alright then, I'll let the TARDIS choose!" The TARDIS shook for a moment and then took off in a new direction."I think I like surprises."

"You do?" Rose questioned, surprised herself. The Doctor she knew never liked that sort of thing.

The Doctor paused for a moment and appeared to be in deep thought. "Yes," he murmured. Suddenly he looked up at her. "Are you hungry, Rose?"

"Ah, not particularly. Why?"

"I just realized that I am absolutely starving." He jumped up and down and then raced toward the door leading out of the TARDIS. The central rotator slowed down and there was a thump. They landed.

Rose blinked. Jeez, did he never stop? "Doctor?"she shouted after him, "Doctor, where are we?"

The Doctor grinned manically. "Hopefully somewhere with _lots_ of food." then he paused. "Apples..."

"What?"

"I've never had a craving before, how weird. But apples right now, Rose, apples sound _amazing_!"

Rose chuckled and followed him to the door. "You're mad."

He grinned. "Just figuring that out now?" Shoving open the doors, he stumbled out of the TARDIS.


End file.
